It begins by admitting you have a smelly refrigerator. by Patrick Means Last summer, my wife and I returned home from a month-long trip to find a foul odor in the house. It didn't take us long to trace the odor to the refrigerator. Inside, we discovered fuzzy gray mold covering several of the surfaces, and a vegetable crisper full of unrecognizable lumps and putrid black liquid. It took a … [Read more...] about Dealing with Your Dark Side: Part 2
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Minding the Gap
by Matt Russell I have been wrestling with a reality that exists for folks who open up to the spiritual life; it’s a reality that has haunted me for a long time. The reality is this: There is the life I want (the emotional depth, the spiritual sensitivity, the integrated authenticity, all that stuff ) and the life I am living. There is the life I am hungry for (the life that only God can … [Read more...] about Minding the Gap
Seeing God in New Ways: Recovery from Distorted Images of God
by Juanita R. Ryan God is waiting around the next corner with a club to punish me. God has a mean face, I don't like to think of him looking at me. These descriptions of God come from deeply committed Christians. Neither person would have signed a doctrinal statement which described God as someone who carries a large club, or as a someone with a mean face. They both would have affirmed … [Read more...] about Seeing God in New Ways: Recovery from Distorted Images of God
Hearing God’s Love Songs as Prayer
The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 Prayer is taking in God’s delight in us. Prayer is being quieted by God’s love. Prayer is listening to God sing songs of joy over us. Whether our parents delighted over us or not, whether our parents quieted us with love or … [Read more...] about Hearing God’s Love Songs as Prayer
Asking for Healing as Prayer
O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. Psalm 30:2 The truth is that we are not well. We are full of fear and anxiety. We struggle with shame. We are caught up in obsessions and addictions. We are blind to our greed and pride. We are defensive, hard hearted and reactive. We are self centered. We fail to live as if we—and all others—are loved and valued beyond measure by … [Read more...] about Asking for Healing as Prayer
Letting Ourselves Be Carried as Prayer
Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. Mark 2:3-4 Sometimes prayer is letting ourselves be carried by others. Sometimes we cannot pray. We may try to talk with God, or to listen to God, … [Read more...] about Letting Ourselves Be Carried as Prayer
Softening our Hearts as Prayer
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Psalm 95:6-8 Our hearts long for God. Yet, too often, we defend ourselves against this longing. We protect our hearts by hardening them against the love we seek because we are afraid that … [Read more...] about Softening our Hearts as Prayer
Navigating Grief
an interview with Robert Bird Grief is not easy. It is not quick. It is not painless. Few of us welcome it into our lives. It comes uninvited. We prefer that it would leave as soon as possible. But what pain we add to our lives if we refuse what this uninvited guest has to offer! To learn more about the dynamics of grief we interviewed Robert Bird, a hospital chaplain who has worked extensively … [Read more...] about Navigating Grief
Chapter 5: The Living Free Program
The Living Free Program provides curricula for a series of Christ-centered support group meetings designed by and for people raised in addictive, emotionally repressive, or dysfunctional families. After attending secular support groups, the developers of the Living Free Program recognized the need for similar groups within the church. Consequently, they created this ministry to provide a … [Read more...] about Chapter 5: The Living Free Program
Verbal and Emotional Abuse
Verbal and emotional abuse are forms of abuse. They do harm. They can't be simply dismissed with slogans such as "Sticks and stones can break your bones but words can never hurt you." or "It's only your feelings that got hurt." Techniques of Emotional Abuse (from Healing the Scars of Emotional Abuse, G. L. Jantz) 1. Emotional Abuse through Words 2. Emotional Abuse Through … [Read more...] about Verbal and Emotional Abuse